People need to STOP doing easy runs at 50mpw

your problem wasn't that you were doing easy runs it was that you were doing easy runs too slow

Where is the science on this?

50 mpw -- why not more?

Easy is a relative term -- if you are running sub 17:00 5k then 7 min miles should be pretty easy.

The science says you can run 8 min mile and still get aerobic benefit.

The science says you run easy for recovery -- it triggers hormones to allow the body to repair muscle damage.

I have seen quite a few people get fast quick and then get injured. The key to success is being patient and staying healthy because you can not train and improve if you are not healthy.

Fair number of 5 mile runs in 35 minutes here:

http://www.glenhuntly-athletics.com/training-ideas/steve-ovett-training

In 1980 (the year this training is taken from) Ovett broke the world record in the mile and won the Olympic 800m. If Ovett is running 7 minute miles at times (about twice as slow as his 800m pace) then I don't see how the OP was going too slow when he was running 8 minute miles at times.

Quiet reminder.

I notice a lot of snide remarks on this forum.

Well... none of you reading this are professional runners and no one who has ever used this forum has made considerable money from running.

You are ALL novices.

I swear this place is like 4chan. Full of incels. I bet none of you even run.

longnhard wrote:

You're not running 100mpw, you're not running twice a day, stop being a p**sy and run faster.

I went from a 17:05 5k to 16:11 5k in 3 months after I stopped doing easy runs at 8 min mile pace and started doing them at 7min pace or even sub 7 on some runs, this was on top of 3 hard workouts a week.

Slow running makes slow runners.

This is why people hate distance runners.